First Public Appearance Photos

479 comments:

Wow, I'm completely floored by the authenticity of these photos! I was expecting something that couldn't possibly be faked, but the genius surrounding the idea of posing as the Tony Clifton character, something that no one but the actual Andy Kaufman could do, is an idea that makes me question my own existence! Could I actually be seeing this? Someone dressed in a wig and makeup with nameless women? If I post no more, it's only because I've collapsed from utter astonishment.

Hey Andy. FWIW. I just sent your press release to my entire customer list (over 2.5 million people). I'm not sure if I care if this is real or not, but is there any chance you can help me out by setting up a totally free blog at http://www.blogsburg.com/? It's a site that I recently launched and it would rock to have a famous dead guy whose not dead stop by and say hello.

Well, given the nature of things, almost anyone could have promoted a faked event. This is very easy to do.

Therefore, the thing to do would be to have photos of andy as himself, not in any other character, holding up a current issue of the national enquirer or some other equally well respected publication. While of course, the possibility of photo-manipulation via photoshop, etc exists, at least this would be a start.

Sadly, there are way to many sleezeballs out there not to ask for something this simple.

This whole "Andy Kaufman Returns" adventure sounds like a publicity stunt to me. Next week should I expect the release of digitally-remastered DVDs of classic episodes of 'Taxi' on DVD? Or another Zmuda book?

*Attention everyone!* I AM JFK. Ignore the fact that my name is not, believe it because I say it, and I have the technology that only someone who has faked their death could have. The ability to make words appear on your screen. I will be making an appearance on your television tonight, as an opinionated columnist on a cable news channel. Look for me.. AND BELIEVE.

The part of me that wants to believe that Andy is still in fact alive is the same part of me that realizes that if this were true, and he was still alive, appearing first as Tony (even if it was Zmuda or someone else) would be exactly they way he would do it. Imagine you've been out of the spotlight for 20 years, and when you were in it the thing you wanted to do most was shake people up and make them question everything from both sides of the fence, both for and against. Now you've come back, and it's been 20 years since you've made the American people scratch their heads and bicker with each other over your existence/intentions. Wouldn't you want to jump right back into it instead of appearing on every talk show as yourself?

If it's true, I salute you Andy for keeping up what I loved you best for. The whole world is your canvas, and you play with our heads so superbly. Good to have you back :)

Well it looks like BOb's in pic 2 and Wally in 3, so -someone's- got to be Tony in all these pics! Yes well I will give it the benefit of the doubt, having not seen any o' these pictures from the Ranch until just now.

It's awesome. So, Were you in a chicken suit or in any other form at the previous two events? Where have u been hiding? Is the truck stop in Memphis sighting a real event?

I believe!This is the best prank ever! but can't you go to jail for facking your own death Andy?I surely hope you get up and perform again soon...Are you planning on making any appearances here in NYC???

Pleas elet this be true.. I don't want my heart to be hurt again, as it was last time

does anyone else find it awesome that andy disappears for 20 years, and the first thing he does when he comes back publicly is go to the bunny ranch and get laid? way to go andy, i think we share a mind. :)

1) If this IS a hoax, it's one HELL of a hoax, and is what Mr. Andy Kaufman would want, really. What better last touch prank than to make people question your death, instead of just the circumstances of it, at least for a while?

2) Personally, I have no reason to believe that this ISN'T Andy Kaufman. If it is, and he's planning to try and stay in the low-key as he claims, it doesn't really matter. If it's a hoax, see above.

3) I personally am quite interested in hearing a few of the stories behind this. Any chance we'll get a couple of them soon?

If Andy Kaufman were alive and finally coming out of hiding, why would he provide proof that he was alive and coming out of hiding? With Andy's double-dealing, pictures of Tony Clifton are more believable proof to me than pictures of Andy, any distinguishing moles he has or a complete DNA writeup done right in front of me.

In other words, Andy has done such a good job that the more real something looks in his presence, the more false one will/should end up believing it is.

Might be Andy. Might be Bob. Might be someone else entirely. If you're not on for the ride, then the joke's on you.

Fake or not, I must say that this current goings-on is truly worthy of Andy Kaufman. I don't believe that it's really him, but there's just the slimmest chance that it could be. Plus, the press doesn't know what to think. Good work!

Anyone except me notice the lack of Andy's distinctive cheek mole in these pictures? All the pictures I've seen of the "real" andy kaufman show a mole on hist left cheek about and inch away from the corner of his mouth...

Hey-Wow... all i can say is wow. In 6th grade I did an engligh project on Kaufman back in the day, and would LOVE it if it were all just a hoax. Hope everythings great and that all is well!-Jeff GillP.S. Do you believe they put a man on the moon?!?!

Time will tell if this is fake or not. Right now I'm tending to think it is, because from what I've read, Andy would never have admitted he was Tony Clifton. And supposedly, here he is posting that he dressed up as Clifton and made a public appearance. I still hold out hope though...

dfn_doe says, All the pictures I've seen of the "real" andy kaufman show a mole on hist left cheek about and inch away from the corner of his mouth...OMG! *I* have a mole on my left cheek about an inch away from the corner of my mouth - does this mean I'm Andy Kaufman????

Anyway. To those who say this is so original and "one HELL of a hoax" (oh for God's sake): How original can it possibly be? Kaufman thought it up 20+ years ago. What did it take to get started? A free account at blogger, a few stock photos, available anywhere online, and ~$80 to pay for a promoted press release at a site where anyone can create any kind of press release they want (as I did this morning, except I didn't pay to publicize mine). In short: All it took was someone to steal Kaufman's own idea, and then not even pull it off very well.

I believe that the person behind this is not Zmuda or whatever his name is, as some have suggested. In one of the early entries, a fan is identified by name, as an "obsessed online fan" - out of all the other fan sites and Kaufman fans in the world, only one gets a mention?... and his site, andykaufmanlives.com shares a name with the web address that was on the press release as of this morning - andykaufmanlives.blogspot.com - NOT andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com.

This might have been amusing if it'd been pulled off better (though I doubt it).

For me personally it would be great if Andy were to return, not because I like his work, because if this were real then he would have one of the best pranks in history. Sadly, noone is that smart. I'd love to choke on those words but I'm not seeing that happen.

Andy Kaufman, today, was not recogized in either a Starbucks in New York or a Best Buy. Furthermore, Andy Kaufman was not recognized at a Macy's even after he told the 22 year old sales-clerk who he was. Mr. Kaufman was quite disturbed at having to provide a photo ID when cashing a check at a nearby McDonalds due to his lack of funds. No questions will be taken by Andy Kaufman.

Prior to entering his homeMr. Kaufman asked that everone continue to forget who he is or not recognize him.

A lot of people posting here obviously never understood Mr. Kaufman's sense of humor. Either that or Andy has actually planted naysayers in the online public to generate incredulity (I wouldn't put it past him). The whole basis of Kaufman's humor from the beginning of his career to the end was to make the audience feel incredulous. The fact that nobody ever really knew where he was coming from was exactly the nature of his genius. This whole current situation smacks so much of Kaufman that the only way he isn't alive is if he conspired with Zmuda 20 years ago - "Hey Bob, how about in 20 years, you fake my return from the grave. People will think I pranked my death, when really I'm pranking my life". One has to remember that this is the kind of mind we're dealing with in Andy Kaufman. He may be alive, he may not. But one thing is for sure - wherever he is, he's just laughing himself silly over the fact that none of us really know what to believe right now. Nothing could be more beautiful. But if I understand him as well as I think I do, he'll keep us guessing as long as he can. Don't expect any definitive "proof" in the near future. It wouldn't be his style.

you are soo awesome andy. this is possibly the greatest prank ever man. you are the best comedian and the fact that u pulled this stunt i give you tons, tons of props. you my friend, you! are good. i believe its u.

If there is one person that could/would be inclined to pull such a stunt for the sake of pulling a practical joke, I think it would be Andy Kaufman. Good for you if it helped give you a serene 'normal' life for the past 20 years. I hope the rest did you well.

I didn't know what to believe at first, however I do know that this unpredictability is exactly the style that Andy is all about. I think that Bob is behind all of this, but it's probably the best tribute that anyone could offer to Andy. Good work Bob.

If I'm wrong, and Andy is still alive......I wonder if Vince McMachon will give him a job. They could definitely use his creative talent.

The fact that he refers to himself being "in the Tony Clifton character" does not convince me that this isn't the real Andy.

He had fun fooling everyone with Tony Clifton 20 years ago, but the entire world was let in on that joke from his biographies and the Man on the Moon movie.

Andy loves taking people to the edge of disbelief and leaving them there to teeter back and forth. That's his art. Showing up on CNN Headline News and the David Letterman show after 20 years just wouldn't be his style. It would be over too quickly, and it would be anticlimactic.

So he reappears on a public BLOG, of all things, puts out a pseudo-professional press release, and a few new pictures of Tony Clifton. He's purposely creating doubts about his own reappearance. It will slowly build and crescendo, and you'll never QUITE know for sure if it's real. Teeter teeter.

Unless, of course, he comes up with an even more spectacular stunt that requires definitive proof of his return. I wonder what that might be?

This is insane. You gotta come on TV at least once, to prove that your back. We want to see you again. Maybe you could talk with Lorn Michaels and come out on the first episode of SNL next season, that would be really cool. But you live in new york now, go on the late show with dave. We just want to see you again to be sure. Text doesnt do much these days.

Unless Andy married in the last twenty years, he doesn't have a wife. Unless you're referring to Lynn Margulies, who seems to be doing fine, but she and Andy never married... he "died" before they could. Or, if they did, it was never publicized.

I'm still straddling the line between being realistic about this whole "comeback" thing and just putting trust in the belief that a Kaufman-style prank is way overdue.

Also, I agree with the point that Andy probably wouldn't think much of finally admitting that he and Tony Clifton are one and the same, especially after twenty years, and especially after "Man on the Moon."

But it would be nice to see Andy on Dave Letterman. Maybe berating Jim Carrey? It'd be nice to see Kaufman throw coffee on television again.

If this is the real Andy Kaufman... Do you have any plans to publically exhume the grave of Andy Kaufman that is @ Beth David Cemetery Elmont in NY? And what would we find in the casket? Bricks? A note?

I think if this was the real Andy, a televised exhuming is in order. After all if he is really alive, what is there to lose? If he was smart he would have put a note in the casket 20 years ago that said something like "See ya in 20"

I was so happy when i saw the news article that you were alive. Its a shame this isn't real. the more and more research i did only proved disapointment. You can not be real because 1) faking your death is illegal and it would be all over the news. 2) I don't care how nice she is no ones wife would stand for it. 3) The real Andy Kaufman would not do something for fame his work revolved around entertaining himself. Those who got it were entertained as well.

1) Why would he make a blog. Blogs are typical of computer users, and especially for the fact that anything goes on the internet and you could believe anything. Heck, I could go on Blogspot.com and say I am Tupac Shakur or Aryton Senna... (respect is everything)

2) Also, he notes that he made an appearance at the Bunny Ranch, which is in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is obviously known for the huge amounts of "fake" stars such as Elvis... and this guy definitely looks fake. Why is he wearing those glasses? I think that guy in the photo is trying to make a fake site and look to be the real thing. Just to make some publicity and money in his pocket.

3)Maybe not so important, but the pictures at that ranch try to look like a horde of "Press" and news people are there when in fact that guy holding the camera is really probably just anyone holding a consumer model Canon... which is not used for the news.

4) Not to mention those photos are infact fake, it was an event in spirit of Andy Kaufman, see the site here: http://www.brodystevens.com/ and scroll down to "Men on the Moon" article

Until I see him sitting in a chair across from, say, Barbra Walters (hey, I can't think of anyone else but Rooney), with blood tests in hand, you could show me all the pictures in the world and post all the blog entries you wanted saying that your real, and I wouldn't believe you. But then again if you ARE Andy Kaufman, well now I'm in a damned if I do damned if I don't situation, as this is probably the response you want anyway.

Who cares where it is, this is clearly the most idiotic hoax ever created. Such a lazy job even trying to make it look real, I found those pictures on the internet in less than 1 minute... what a joke, and the joke is on the guy who created this whole idea.... hah...

David wrote...") Not to mention those photos are infact fake, it was an event in spirit of Andy Kaufman, see the site here: http://www.brodystevens.com/ and scroll down to "Men on the Moon" article"

Are you stupid? These pictures on this site you posted are at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. The pictures on this blog site are at the Bunnyland Ranch. I didn't see one duplicate photo. Please stop being stupid, think before you post. The Tony Clifton in your photos is Bob Zmuda. It's widely known he threw a big 20th anniversary party in honor of Andy, all you did was uncover the photos... woooo, you are a true Sherlock. This in no way disproves this site, try harder or stop wasting our fucking time.

there is no time limit to faking your own death. you can not come back in 7 or 8 or 20 years. In fact the longer you wait the worse the delema becomes. If you want me or anyone attentive to believe you will need to provide hard core proof. I don't see any real news articles saying your fingerprints and DNA are real. You would also have to pay off any insurance recieved and widows benefits. There is only one way for you to prove this and it is to go public. Any little tv show will do. I also noticed the news article that stated you were alive was pulled down due to misleading facts. I wonder why??? Your just exploiting someones death. I can do what your doing easily.

Well isn't that amusing, someone pretending to be Kaufman. One suggestion: when you release photos,release your own photos, don't take them from other people and wave them around like a fake press release. Hell, photoshop Clifton's head onto a fat jackass from your family photo album if you have to. Anyone can do it, why don't you ask your dad for help. After you do your homework, of course.

Im skeptical , i know this dude on this site is some weirdo with waaaay to much time on their hands , I could have made a blog and said exactly the same thing after reading something like this....http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=e&id=6629#comments

Andy, posting as one non entity to another, would you ever allow me to interview you for my blog? Being a ficticious character myself I can understand the troubles you may be having getting the world to realize you are really alive and not some expertly timed joke. Or not. Either way... you up for it?

http://www.picgoo.com/uploads/tonyfan1.jpghttp://www.picgoo.com/uploads/tonyfan2.jpgbut then, at #3, it get's kinda obvious:http://www.picgoo.com/uploads/tonyfan3.jpg...even more so when you (after some thinking from my part) you check this url:http://www.picgoo.com/uploads/me.jpg

I don't know if this is Andy it could very well be him. This is why I submitted the story to CNN. I am awaiting to see if they are going to do a story on him. If so this site will have about 4,000 more visitors total on this site. Its good to see you back Andy although I don't know much about you. I am a small comedian because I only do jokes around my family and friends, but many have told me I could do stand up comedy and real life comedy.

I actually saw and PHOTOGRAPHED a certain Mr. "Tony Clifton." No, not at the Bunny Ranch... at the Martial Arts Hall of Fame dinner. I wonder if wrestling counts as a martial art? Check it out at http://www.xenex.org/journal.htm

My. No one should become overtly passionate about this situation, due largely to the fickleness of said situation. There is uncertainty, but at the same time likelihood. This is nothing to become preoccupied with.

I imagined writing a letter to you, Andy/Tony, somehow resembling to your letter to Elvis.I believe Elvis is alive.I believe Andy is alive.Therefore I am.I strongly advise you against a public appearance. They would eat you alive. Keep a low profile for the time being. Pay us a visit. We would like to see you, even if we live in a far-off country. You are our favourit immigrant.Tell me, would you consider giving a show at the theatre in my hometown? I've already prepared the milk and cookies for about 500 viewers. The rest is on you.

I imagined writing a letter to you, Andy/Tony, somehow resembling to your letter to Elvis.I believe Elvis is alive.I believe Andy is alive.Therefore I am.I strongly advise you against a public appearance. They would eat you alive. Keep a low profile for the time being. Pay us a visit. We would like to see you, even if we live in a far-off country. You are our favourit immigrant.Tell me, would you consider giving a show at the theatre in my hometown? I've already prepared the milk and cookies for about 500 viewers. The rest is on you.

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